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10/21/2019 12:00 AMField Hockey
The Branford field hockey squad qualified for the Class M State Tournament after winning two of its three games last week. The Hornets notched victories over SCC opponents Hamden and Shelton before taking a non-conference loss to Staples during last week’s action. Branford, which made states with its win against Shelton, now stands with a record of 7-4 this season.
The Hornets hosted Hamden on Oct. 16 and defeated the Green Dragons by a 6-2 score at Branford High School. Senior Brianna Shaw scored three goals and handed out two assists for Branford, while fellow senior Molly Zaffino had two goals with two assists. Senior Madison Acquarulo scored the other goal for the Hornets, who also received assists from senior Maggie Martin and freshman Scout Engstrom.
Senior goalie Gianna Messina made six saves in goal. Head Coach Pete Frye said that Branford was bolstered by quality contributions from senior Karly King, senior Hailey Brunner, and sophomore Julia McHenry in the victory.
Branford scored five goals during the first half of its win versus Hamden. Shaw netted the first two goals of the game with the second one coming on a Zaffino assist. Zaffino followed by scoring a goal from Maggie Martin and then scored an unassisted goal to give Branford a 4-0 advantage. Shaw scored her third goal of the half on an assist by Engstrom to put the Hornets up 5-0 at the break. In the second half, Acquarulo scored from Shaw and Zaffino to increase the lead to 6-0.
Then on Oct. 18, Branford punched its ticket into the Class M tourney by earning a 10-0 road victory versus Shelton. Sophomore Nora Longway and Acquarulo both scored three goals for the Hornets with Longway also contributing an assist. Engstrom had a goal and two assists, Shaw scored a goal to go with a pair of assists, and Zaffino contributed three assists in the victory. Senior Gianna Benni had a goal and an assist, sophomore Olivia Salerno scored a goal, and Brunner added an assist. Messina stopped two shots in goal to get the shutout for Branford. Coach Frye additionally credited Martin, King, and freshman Aryana Wilson for their performances in the game.
The following day, Branford traveled to Westport to take on non-conference opponent Staples and took a 3-0 defeat.
Boys’ Soccer
The Hornets hosted Notre Dame-West Haven for an SCC Quinnipiac Division matchup on Oct. 15. Branford dropped a 2-1 decision against the Green Knights and now have a record of 5-5-1 this year.
Branford held a 1-0 lead over Notre Dame at halftime after junior Ralf Ciarleglio scored a goal from sophomore Sebastian Verdesoto in the 32nd minute. However, Notre Dame came back with two goals in the second half and went on to get the win. The Green Knights tied the game by scoring a goal in the 57th minute and then took the lead with another goal in the 71st minute.
Volleyball
Branford lost a pair of contests last week to put its record at 2-10 on the season.
On Oct. 15, the Hornets took a 3-0 road loss against North Haven. Three days later, Branford dropped a 3-0 home match versus divisional opponent Amity to drop to 1-5 in the SCC Oronoque Division.
Boys’ Cross Country
Branford sent seven athletes to compete at the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship that took place on Oct. 17. The Hornets finished in 11th place out of the 17 teams in the meet at East Shore Park in New Haven.
Sophomore Patrick Zdunek led the pack for Branford by finishing in 47th place with a time of 18 minutes and 52 seconds in the 5K race. Fellow sophomore Cheng Wu came in 60th place by crossing the finish line with a time of 19:07. Senior Andrew Betzig finished in 62nd place in a time of 19:09, while fellow senior Nolan Scott finished 65th with a 19:14. Sophomore Wesley Raymond came in 82nd place at 19:45, sophomore Ben Watson finished in 83rd place with that same time of 19:45, and sophomore Wyatt Reynolds placed 103rd in a time of 20:46 for Head Coach Kevin Connell’s squad.
Branford will continue the postseason by running at the Class MM State Championship this weekend. The meet takes place at Wickham Park in Manchester at 1:35 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Girls’ Soccer
Branford played three games in SCC Hammonasset Division action last week and saw a little bit of everything during the stretch. The Hornets earned a win versus Lyman Hall, took a loss to Shelton, and notched a tie against Lauralton Hall on the week. Branford moved to 4-4-3 overall and 2-3-1 in the division with these results.
Branford started off its week by posting a 3-0 shutout over Lyman Hall in a home game on Oct. 14. Freshman Ava Ferrie scored the Hornets’ first goal on an assist from senior Melanie Sachs in the 12th minute of the contest. Eight minutes later, sophomore Kendall Infantino netted an unassisted goal to make it 2-0. Just two minutes after that, Ferrie sent a cross to sophomore Nica Smith, who finished it for the score to give Branford a 3-0 advantage. Sophomore goalie Macey Girard made four saves to get the shutout in net.
Two days later, the Hornets dropped a 3-1 decision on a rainy night in Shelton. Junior Alayna Boileau scored Branford’s lone goal of the game during the first half. Girard made eight saves in goal, including several diving stops to keep the Hornets in the game.
Then on Oct. 18, Branford hosted Lauralton Hall for its third divisional matchup of the week and battled the Crusaders to a 2-2 tie. Ferrie scored Branford’s first goal on an assist from Boileau in the 33rd minute. Infantino scored off a direct kick by senior Sydney Panczak with five minutes remaining in regulation.
Girls’ Cross Country
The Hornets started off their postseason by hitting the course for the SCC Championship at East Shore Park in New Haven on Oct. 17. With six athletes competing, Branford came in 13th place among the 17 clubs that were represented at the meet.
Sophomore Isla Lionetti turned in the best showing for the Hornets at SCCs. Lionetti recorded a time of 23 minutes and 7 seconds to finish in 34th place overall for the 5K course. Freshman Hannah Jackson was next in line for Branford by taking 46th place behind a time of 23:30. Junior Steph Toste came in 64th place with a mark of 24:36, and freshman Marina Smiarowski finished in 76th place at 24:56. Senior Abbey Pawlowicz finished in 80th place with a time of 25:01, while fellow senior Juli Dillon finished in 93rd at 25:51.
Branford’s next meet is the Class MM State Championship that will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. at Wickham Park in Manchester.